Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading, please enjoy Chapter 9!

Chapter 9: Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom (Part 3)

(Back with Zim…)

He knew coming back here was risky, no doubt the enemy had this place under surveillance. And yet with all the trick or treaters filling the streets of Zim's neighborhood, the Irken knew of no other place where he could continue to collect resources.

The Irken exists the Voot which at the moment is in drilling mode. He wipes sweat from his brow as he leans up against the Irken machine. "How much is that?" He asked the computer hopefully. It wasn't that the Irken was lazy, no while other invaders had their Sirs do most of the work, Gir was known to be well…unreliable at best. So Zim was use to pulling the weight of the mission. What he was worried about was gathering enough resources to please the Tallest.

They would be expecting it any day now, and if it wasn't enough they would call and Zim would have to explain why he was falling behind.

"We are at 30% Sir." The computer informed him.

"This will never due." Zim realized out loud. "The Tallest will be expecting it any day now so in order to get it to them in time I have to make this shipment tonight, or tomorrow at the latest."

"Perhaps if you didn't waste time on that boy we'd be finished." The Computer brain spoke the obvious.

Dib froze, he had climbed up to the window Gaz had used during their last encounter and was climbing through the rafters right above the enemy. Was this the moment he would get answers? Dib looked around for any sign of the Sir unit, but saw nothing. 'Maybe Zim sent him away.' Dib thought.

"We are not wasting time with this conversation." Zim deflected the jab with ease.

"Sir you risked your own safety for that…thing!" The Computer brain yelled. "It has clearly impaired your judgment."

Zim growled lowly, for some reason hearing Dib being called a…thing instead of a person rubbed him the wrong way. "I said we are not talking about this!"

"No, you plan to avoid it!" The Computer brain snapped back. "This planet's defective nature is polluting your mind we must return to Irk at once and fix you."

"And if that doesn't work?" Zim snapped. "If I return to Irk now the Tallest will know about it. What will I tell them?"

The Computer brain didn't seem to have an answer for this.

"It's best that we wait until our mission is complete." Zim continued. "I can return without drawing suspicion to myself and you can hook up to the main programing mainframe and fix me."

'Fix me.' Dib couldn't believe his ears, the Irken really thought there was something wrong with him. Just because he didn't think the same way the rest of his people did.

"It could be too late by then." The Computer brain argued.

"It's a risk we're going to have to take." Zim said the obvious. "I cannot afford another delay."

Suddenly, Dib's hand disappears and with a yelp the unexpected loss of grip sends him falling to the ground. "Ow." He said with a groan.

Zim instantly goes into defensive mode. "Earth Child?" He asked rather surprised.

"Zim!" Dib rushed to his feet. "Look we don't have a lot of time."

"How long were you up there?" Zim asked almost casually.

"Zim, I know how weird this is gonna-" Dib began to move forward, he doesn't get far.

The computer brain lashes out with one of its tentacles and Dib dodges the oncoming blow. "That's close enough child."

"Hey!" Dib shouted.

"I will not have you corrupt the master anymore." The computer declared.

"Corrupt?" Dib muttered. "Look I don't have time for this!" He exclaimed. "The next jump may be the last one and I'll be stuck there forever! They're gonna do something to my head! Something evil!"

Zim chuckled, despite himself; the child was full blown crazy at this point. Why else would he come here?

"My head's not big!" Dib screamed.

"I didn't say anything about your head..." Zim told him.

"Master we cannot afford to humor this child any longer." The computer hissed.

Dib's eyes narrowed at the computer, with it here he knew he'd have no luck getting through to Zim. "Look I'm desperate." He admitted. "You're the only one who can help!"

"Me?" Zim snapped. "Your greatest, most amazing enemy? Your future slave master and you ask for help!?"

"My dad has the equipment, but I won't be able to get home in time and I need to reverse the effect! You're the only other person with the technology." Dib insisted. He wanted to add the fact that he'd love an explanation for the whole saving him thing. That Zim, didn't have to go through with this mission for world conquest, but he was running out of time. But if he could just get Zim to fix him then Dib could in turn fix Zim.

He knew it was a crazy gamble to think the alien would listen to his nonsense, but he was too desperate to think straight.

"Be gone with you! I've had enough of your nonsense from your smelly mouth filled with... corn!" Zim hissed.

"I haven't been eating corn!" Dib said, odd this moment felt familiar to him, and yet he couldn't place it.

"LIES!" Zim hissed.

Dib panics as his hand begin to disappear. "Oh this is useless." Dib yelled. "Fine if you want help me, than I'm gonna force you to help yourself!"

"Wait what?" Zim asked, but before he could finish Dib grabbed him.

"NO!" The computer moved to stop him, but it was too late.

For in an instant the two enemies were gone!

(Back in the Nightmare dimension….)

[AKA: Dib's head?]

Zim groans as he and the Dib land hard on the ground.

He opens his eyes only to wish he hadn't.

"The one whose neck blinks!" A grossest monster exclaimed as it hovered; clinging to the ceiling above them with several others. "We've been expecting you!"

Zim and Dib scream as they run outside and shut the door behind them.

"This way!" Dib shouts grabbing Zim by the arm and lead him into an alleyway. The creatures are not far behind them, but far enough that the two can find a place to hide; if they're quick.

They dive into another alleyway, panting heavily.

"Where are we?" Zim asked.

"Shh!" Dib places his hands over the Irken's mouth as the monsters run past their hiding place.

Zim pushes the child away from him as soon as they passed. "I asked you a question worm!" He said in a low sinister hiss.

"Some kind of alternate universe." Dib answered. "It's based on my imagination somehow."

"And you brought me here!? You sickening troublesome human!" Zim yelled as his robotic spider legs extend from his PAK allowing him to tower over Dib.

Dib pointed up at him defensively. "Hey! The only way back home is through my head! Anything happens to me and you're stuck here, forever!"

Zim clenches his fist in utter frustration as he retracts his mechanical spider legs. "Curse you!" he declared.

"Look hate me all you want." Dib said. "Heck I'm sure you're plotting my demise right now."

"Oh, there will be plenty of time for plotting when we get out." Zim assured him causing Dib to gulp. "Well, this is your imaginary world, think of some way out of here!"

"Honestly I…" Dib began.

"You have no idea do you?" Zim asked.

Dib grunts as he tries to pull off his crazy collar. "Well in theory we could go to this place version of my house. Maybe there's a version of the dimensional scope there!"

"Scope?" Zim asked.

"Yeah my dad kind of made this thing that can see into other dimensions…" Dib began.

Zim laughed, he just couldn't help it. Of course, the computer was right, Tak had nothing to do with this. No instead this was happening because Dib had to mess with one of his father's devices. Zim also remembered telling him it was a bad idea. "So, this is happening because you meddled in technology that you don't understand?"

"Well no…yes…maybe." Dib admitted.

"Humans." Zim sighed. "I swear it's a miracle your kind hasn't accidently blown up this entire planet with all the dangerous stuff you meddle with."

"You Irkens meddle with…" Dib began.

"No, We Irkens control dangerous tech." Zim corrected him instantly. "Only a foolish race would meddle with tech they do not understand on their own home world."

Dib couldn't help but see the logic in that sentence, and he hated himself for it.

They here the hooing of a nightmare owl. Zim yelps despite himself as the child shakes beside him. "Maybe there's something there we can use to defend ourselves" The Irken suggested as he looked around.

"Good thinking." Dib praised as they continued on their way, keeping an eye out for any makeshift weapon that would do in the meantime.

For a while the two foes are silent, but it doesn't stay that way long.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Zim asked. He had taken the lead and could feel the child's eyes on him.

Dib who had been watch him for some time was thinking on the fact that since Zim was taking the lead he obviously knew where Dib lived, and that was admittedly unsettling. However, Dib was also considering how he should strike up this obviously delicate conversation that had drove him to kidnaping (Could he even call it that?) the Irken in the first place.

After all, how does one start the whole "You should betray your race for the greater good" speech anyways? Needless to say, Dib was beginning to regret not thinking this through.

"Let me guess." Zim said. "Me saving you has you all confused." Yes, he knew what the child wanted to get at, and it was best to stomp out those feelings as soon as possible.

"Yeah." Dib admitted.

Zim shrugged. "To be honest I don't know...why…" He paused thoughtfully. "I've never had to face off against children before…" He admitted. "Not even that Miz proved this difficult."

"So what?" Dib asked. "I have my whole life ahead of me. Is that it?"

"I told you I don't know why I did it!" Zim snapped.

"I think you do." Dib challenged. "In fact, it wouldn't be the first time you've had trouble with letting me die."

"I nearly killed you in the woods the other day." Zim reminded him.

"Oh yeah you really looked like you wanted to shoot me then too." Dib lied.

Zim growled.

"Look it's obvious to me that you don't want to do this." Dib pressed.

"Oh, is that the conclusion you've come to?" Zim scoffed. "I've destroyed countless planets child, yours is nothing special, heck I could name 30 that looked just like it. 'Looked' being the key word."

"You can play dumb, but I have a friend who knows you personally." Dib argued.

"And did this 'friend' tell you how I repaid his kindness?" Zim snapped. He knew good and well who the Dib was referring to.

"As a matter of fact, he did!" Dib said. And it was true, when Dib had asked Lard Nar about the defectives. The Vort scientist had told him about how he met Zim and how he was different from the other Irken cadets. He also told him how Zim had betrayed him in the end. "He told me everything!"

'EVERYTHING!'

That one word alone stopped Zim in his tracks. "Then you know exactly how this story would end." He said gravely.

"You could stand up to them!" Dib declared. "But you won't."

"Drop it child." Zim warned.

"No!" Dib yelled. "What are you so afraid of?"

"An Irken fears nothing!" Zim insisted.

"Well the Zim I know…"

"You don't know me." Zim hissed.

"I know enough to know you don't believe in any of this." Dib said. "And no, I don't know that because of Lard Nar, it's because of you."

"And when did I ever give you that notion?" Zim challenged.

"You looked disappointed the first time we met, you almost caught us right off the back, and you didn't like it." Dib pointed out. "You struggled to shot me, and when you were in my body instead of plotting to kill me you decided to make me stupider." He went on. "And despite your claims to want to destroy us all, you haven't killed anyone, you're even careful of how much resources you take from us. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't sound like a tyrant to me."

Zim struggles to come up with a counter argument, but he's too stunned to come up with anything worth mentioning. This child was just too good at seeing right through him, even when he wasn't pretending to be human. "Look child some people just draw the short end of the stick." He reasoned. "I make bad habit of letting my…feelings get in the way." He admitted. "However, that doesn't change the situation. This is how it has to be…You're the hero…and I'm…not..."

Dib goes to speak, but above the alley way, a nightmare cat scampers along a thin branch-like thing connecting two buildings. The sound is loud, and will no doubt attract attention.

"Let's move!" Zim ordered.

And they do, the two run along a line of brushes towards the residential area. They stop when they see the nightmare creatures walking down the street towards them. Thinking fast Zim pulls them behind a tree.

"I hate Halloween..." Zim decides as they try their best to remain unnoticed.

"How did they find us?" Dib asked.

"We'll never get there at this rate." Zim said the obvious, "We need to divide and conquer."

"What do you mean?" Dib asked.

"It's you they want." Zim said. "Give yourself up and I'll go get the device."

"No! If they have me they'll get out!" Dib insisted. "That's why they want me."

"To escape?" Zim asked.

Dib nodded. "And I highly doubt your leaders will be pleased that you allowed nightmare creatures to destroy our planet on your watch."

Zim paused and to Dib's surprise he smiled.

"What?" Dib asked.

"You're naive …" Zim mused. "But I see potential especially with a winning argument like that."

"Uh…thank you?" Dib said unsure.

"Don't thank me!" Zim lectured. "I should kill you now while you're not a threat."

"But you won't." Dib teased.

Zim smiled sinisterly. "Your child status will only shield you from me for so long." He warned.

Dib gulped.

"So how are we going to do this?" Zim asked.

It's then that one of the creatures, Hummelflesh's eyes widen. "Hmmm? Hmm..."

All of the monsters stop. Hummelflesh looks over at the tree that Zim and Dib are hiding behind. The light from Dib's crazy collar can be seen pulsing. "Look, its Blinky!" he exclaimed.

"Your stupid collar just gave away our position. Take it off." Zim hissed as the other monsters start running and leaping towards the tree.

"I'm trying!" Dib screamed trying to pull it off once more.

"Do you want with the rest of him, just save his head!" Hummelflesh shouts.

Dib gasps and breathes heavily before finally ripping the crazy collar off of his neck.

"What now?" Dib asked.

"Get rid of it." Zim orders.

"Okay!" Dib yells before he puts it on Zim.

"What are you-?" Zim declared. "This isn't the plan."

"It is now!" Dib yelled. "They won't take you without this. They'll think you're me." He insisted.

"That will never work." Zim yelled.

"Trust me they're stupid." Dib said as he pushes Zim out from behind the tree.

"Oh, you wretched-!" Zim began.

"Arr, he's the one! Arrr!" Dib said imitating a monster.

The nightmare creatures stare at Zim.

"Get him!" Hummelflesh yells.

"You have got to be kidding me." Zim mutters.

"I'd run if I were you." Dib advised.

"Once we're out of your head you are so dead." Zim vowed before taking off in the opposite direction of Dib's house.

One nightmare creature leaps over Zim, blocking his path. It has a hollow inside with a caged-off opening in its chest. Zim tries running away from this nightmare creature but it uses a tentacle with a mouth at the end to suck Zim into its hollow body. Zim groans as he falls into a pool of slime in the monster's body like cage.

"I'll get you Dib!" He vowed. "You stinking human!"

Dib winced as the nightmare creature starts hopping away, followed the rest of the nightmare creatures. "He'll get over it." Dib assured himself. "Hopefully…" He added as he scampers off.

(Following Zim…)

The nightmare creatures take him to a nightmare version of the school. And they waste no time attaching him to a table where a large device is pointed at him.

"You vermin will be sorry for this!" Zim vowed as the monsters gathered around him.

Hummelflesh walks over to a throne where nightmare Bitters sits.

And despite himself Zim flinches as he notices her.

'So, this is how the kid sees her.' He thought. 'I wonder if it's accurate.' He thought remembering that Dark Booty hinted at the fact that she wasn't human.

Zim shook his head. 'Focus.'

"We brought him for you! His neck flashes and everything!" Hummelflesh said.

"You guys really are stupid." Zim realized out loud. "We're not even the same species."

"Silence!" Nightmare Bitters leaps down from her throne as lightning strikes. She walks over to Zim and growls angrily. "He is right you brought the wrong one! You failed me!" Hummelflesh starts shaking as Nightmare Bitters leaps over him. "You will be condemned to the realm of eternal screaming and, oh, restlessness!"

She points over to a massive door. It opens, revealing fire on the other side.

"But I don't really wanna go there!" Hummelflesh whines.

"You'll just have to accept it. Here's your ticket." She lifts up a suitcase and a ticket.

Hummelflesh takes the ticket and suitcase His eyes widen and water as he walks over to the door leading to the realm of eternal screaming and restlessness. He stops and looks back at the other nightmare creatures. "Well, see ya guys..." He puts on a hat and walks into the realm of eternal screaming and restlessness. The others wave to him while saying their goodbyes. They gasp as the flames get bigger. The door shuts.

"Man, this place is weird." Zim said.

Nightmare Bitters scratches her nose. "As for this one-" She leaps over to where Zim is. "-he may prove useful." She laughs.

"You think he'll wait to escape with me?" Zim challenged.

"Am I wrong?" Nightmare Bitters asked.

"Oh, he better." Zim hissed. "Cause if I have to get out of this realm myself he will suffer."

"Excellent!" Nightmare Bitters laughs and soon her minions join in.

While they are distracted, Zim slips out of the bonds attaching him to the table. 'These guys really are stupid.' He realized for the second time. He crawls away before slipping out the window. He slips at the very bottom and falls in the mud. He gets up, growling. "Dib drags me into his ugly mind then sacrifices me! If his head weren't so crucial to my escape-" He doesn't even bother to finish the sentence. He grunts as he rips the crazy collar off of his neck before throwing it away.

"I only hope poor GIR is alright by himself..."

(Back in the normal world...)

Trick or treaters run by; their faces full of horror. Chunk, who is in his jack-o-lantern costume stops in the middle of the street and screaming.

"It's after my candy!" Mary screams as well.

GIR, out of his disguise, plummets from the sky and knocks Mary over. He squeals happily as he throws handfuls of candy into his mouth. He licks up candy and then crawls into the paper bag Mary used to keep her candy in before bursting out to tackle Willy.

"I love me some candy!" Gir screams.

(Meanwhile...)

Dib has finally reached his nightmare house; he runs inside. And looks around before walking over to a door leading to Membrane's lab. He grabs the handle, but that's as far as he gets before Nightmare Membrane materializes in front of him, forcing him to take a step back.

"So, I find you here. I suppose it was only a matter of time!"

"Dad!?" Dib asked unsure.

Nightmare Membrane's coat extends into tentacles which wrap around Dib's feet. Dib falls to the ground as a Nightmare version of Gaz hops in front of him, drinking 'Dark Juice.'

"We're gonna open your head!" Nightmare Gaz laughs evilly and then takes a sip from her 'Dark Juice.'

Dib shakes fearfully realizing this version of his sister was far scarier than the real Gaz, and Dib never thought anything could be scarier than that.

Nightmare Membrane slides over to Dib. Before he grabs him with his clawed hand and lifts him by his head. Before taking him outside, Nightmare Gaz follows close behind.

Zim who was hiding just outside sees them walk out.

"No! Naa!" Dib screams as they carry him away. "Oh no! No!"

"Seriously?" Zim asked himself. "If he was just going to get captured anyways why didn't we just go with my plan?" He complained as he raced inside to get the scope. He opens the door to Nightmare Membrane's lab and runs down the stairs. "Oh, where is it? Where is the scope?" Zim frantically searches through the lab. He finds it on a table and picks it up. He looks into it, screams, and drops it.

"What is that!?" He asked himself, before shaking his head. No what he saw should never be put into words, much less thought on. He picked up the scope once more before racing off to the Nightmare School.

Inside the school the massive device lowers to face Dib who is now attached to the table. The monsters are gathered around. One of them holds a balloon.

"My revolting minions!" Nightmare Bitters declares. "At last the time has come! Today, we'll have a whole new world to ravage! As soon as we open the portal in Dib's head, the fun will begin once more!"

The monsters cheer. "Dib's head rocks!"

"Don't I get any say in this?" Dib asked hopefully.

The monsters look at Dib angrily as the device roars to life!

Dib struggles to escape as the tip of the device begins to light up.

"No use fighting, child." Nightmare Bitters mused. "No use."

A beam shoots from a small crystal that is strapped to Dib's forehead and into the device.

"Soon, my army will march through your disturbingly large head and onto victory!" Nightmare Bitters cries.

"Maybe my head is big..." Dib thought out loud.

Suddenly, Zim who is now piloting are large robot smashes through the wall. "Oh, it is." Zim yelled. "As big as you are stupid."

The nightmare creatures back away.

"Zim!" Dib declared.

"Look what I found out back." Zim said looking pretty proud of himself. "Isn't it neat?"

"Very." Dib admitted as the robot walks towards him. As it walks forward, the monsters walk backwards. Mechanical tentacles fling out of the back of robot and rip Dib from the table. The beam of light still shoots from Dib's forehead. The tentacles hold Dib in front of Zim.

Zim no longer looks happy.

"Oh, come on! You're not mad about that whole using you as bait' thing, are you?" Dib asked.

Zim's eye twitches and with a flip of some controls the tentacles squeeze Dib.

"Organs... exploding..." Dib warned him.

"What's the point in me being the decoy if you get captured!?"

"Fair…point!" Dib agreed and the tentacles relax their grip.

"I'm not here because I like you, Dib. I'm just here for your filthy gargantuan head!"

"Oh, now it's gargantuan!?" Dib screamed.

Zim smiles. "Well now that I know there's a whole other world in it, it just feels bigger."

"I hate you." Dib stated, even as a smile slipped on his face.

"Want to blow this place?" Zim asked.

"Please." Dib insisted.

The tentacles move Dib to the back of the robot as more mechanical tentacles extend from the robot. Zim presses some buttons on the levers excitedly causing the tentacles to squirt goo all over the monsters.

"Oh, ewww... Oh, sick!" They scream.

Nightmare Bitters growls and starts to morph into a more menacing creature. Her legs swell up into larger legs and four more legs sprout from her. Spines sprout from her side and her abdomen expands. The tentacles on her back extend. The monsters back away from her.

"Okay that's just gross." Dib said.

"It's your head." Zim reminded him he pulls another lever and the robot jumps out the hole in the wall and hops away.

"Find them! That kid is our only hope!" Nightmare Bitters screams as she and her minions charge.

Zim stops the robot beside a trench, he then uses his spider legs to crawl down the trench wall before they retract back into his PAK. The Robot than drops Dib who jumps up before leaning against the trench wall, looking at the beam shooting from his forehead.

"I've set the robot thing for auto-defense." Zim told him. "It'll buy us some time , while we use this thing to widen the portal in your stinking head!" Zim said holding up the scope.

Dib sticks his finger in the beam and struggles to pull it back out.

"Do you know how to use that?" Dib asked.

"Irken babies have used more complicated things as play toys. I'll figure it out." He assures him before he shoves the scope into the beam deep into Dib's head.

"Hey! Quit it! That's my head!" Dib reminded him.

The robot explodes behind them, and the two look up to see Nightmare Bitters and her minions walking through the smoke.

"There! That should be wide enough!" Zim said gesturing to the portal protruding from Dib's head.

"What about me!? How do I get back!?"

"Good question!" Zim pauses. "But I don't care!"

"Oh, come on I thought we bounded back there!" Dib insisted.

Zim lets go of the scope and it socks into Dib's head leaving a wider beam coming from his forehead. "You aren't gonna let this go are you?" Zim asked.

"Nope." Dib insisted.

Zim smiled. "I better see you on the other side worm." He warned. "Otherwise I'll be highly disappointed!"

Dib smiles as the Irken jumps into the beam and disappears.

"There! Through that hole!" Nightmare Bitters screams.

Dib moans as he lifts his feet up into the hole and sucks himself through his own head.

The last thing he hears is the disappointing cry of Nightmare Bitters "Nooooo!"

(Back in the real world…)

Dib finds himself falling from the sky, which makes no sense to him.

He lands beside Zim who also looks dazed and doubled over in pain.

"Well that was…" Dib began.

Zim raised a hand. "We will never speak of this." He said.

Dib nodded. "Agreed." He said as the portal in his head starts closing.

Around them Trick or Treaters lie on the ground in pain, groaning. GIR, now morbidly obese, lies on a pile of candy with chocolate bar stains on his metal body.

"Do you know your robot is…?" Dib began.

"Yes, Dib I see him." Zim assured him. "My spine is healing."

"Well... at least we made it!" Dib said hopefully.

"As soon as my skeleton stops being broken, I'm going to destroy you, Dib." Zim vowed.

Dib picks up a stray lollipop and licks it. "Didn't we already prove that your threats are empty?" He teased. He wasn't sure why he suddenly thought it was safe to tease such a dangerous enemy, sure the guy may not want to kill him, but that didn't make him less dangerous. Still, the Irken made no move to stop the teasing so far.

So, it was okay…or at least that was the conclusion Dib was drawing.

"I hate you." Zim hissed.

"Well, I hate you more." Dib countered.

"And I hate you the most you stupid Earth monkey!" Zim screamed.

Silence…

And just like that the two were laughing, maybe it was due to the craziness of the day, they weren't sure, but they felt delirious.

Suddenly, Dib screams and drops the lollipop as Nightmare Bitters forces her way through the portal which has yet to close all the way. She sticks her head into the real world. "At last, a new perfect world for me to-" She stops as she sees the tricker treaters "Oh, disgusting!" She says at their hideous forms. "Oh, look at the head on that one!" She than looks at the morbidly obese GIR. Flies buzz around GIR. GIR groans and sticks a handful of candy into his slightly sticky mouth and burps out unusual bubbles.

Nightmare Bitters screams. "This place is horrible, keep it!" She yells before she sucks herself back through and the closes for good behind her.

All of his classmates' stare at him stunned.

"They're staring at me not you right?" He asked Zim.

"Yep." Zim managed to answer.

"They won't even remember seeing an alien." Dib moaned in disbelief.

"As far as they know I'm in costume." Zim pointed out. "You're the one who had a monster almost come out of his head."

His fellow classmates shake in obvious fear.

"Well, I'll, uh, see you guys at school." Dib tells them before he takes off.

Zim struggles to move and manages to get up before limping away.

His final words were barely audible. "I hate Halloween."

And it was true, he really, really did.

-To Be Continued